chapter rating: pg-13
word count: 5,370
summary: "Bonnie wasn't just my friend, Elena…"
[welcome home]
Elena opens her eyes sixty-four years after she closed them. She awakens to an unfamiliar face, inside a casket tucked in the back end of a semi-truck. The man, who can't be much older than her, holds out a hand and introduces himself as Malcolm Lockwood, Tyler's grandson. It's a reminder that life is going to be strange and unfamiliar for a while yet. That settles in her gut like a cold weight.
She takes a deep breath as she steps out of the semi truck, blinking at the bright sun beating down on her. The spell Kai had cast kept her young, unchanged, and completely healthy. She looks to Malcolm, who has his grandfather's smile, and has so many questions. "Where are we?"
"Chicago," he answers. "The way the old man told it, Mystic Falls got too dangerous, so you were moved out here, to keep you safe. It's kind of a family duty, to watch out for you. We, uh, we got the call about an hour ago, about Bonnie…"
She nods, biting down on her lip. It's not that she expected certain people to be here. Not exactly. She knows what it means that she's alive. That Bonnie must've died. So it makes sense that they're there with her; she gets that. It's just a little jarring, to wake up to someone she doesn't know and a world sixty years different.
"You must be hungry," Malcolm says. "We can stop and get something to eat on the way to Mystic Falls. Sound good?"
She nods, hugging her arms around herself.
He smiles gently. "You've probably got a few questions too…"
"A ton," she says, with a laugh.
"I'll answer what I can."
Twenty minutes later, they sit down at a diner, and Elena realizes just how hungry she is. She fills up on fries and a cheeseburger and a thick, chocolate milkshake, before dusting her hands on her napkin and looking to Malcolm. "So… Your grandfather…?"
"Tyler, yeah. He, uh, he passed away a couple years back."
Elena's heart lurches. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay. He was ready to go." He shrugs. "He had a good life. I've got two uncles and an aunt to show for it."
"Four kids, wow. It's weird, I guess I never really thought about Tyler as a dad."
Malcolm laughs. "According to my dad, he was a great one."
"Good. That's… I'm glad to hear that."
"Yeah." Malcolm sips at his Coke a moment and then drops the cup back to the table. "So? What do you wanna know?"
She decides not to ask him too much about home. He's young, and she doesn't expect him to be in touch with her original group of friends. Tyler clearly moved away and stayed away, which… she gets. It's a smart move. And obviously one that worked in his favor if he was able to make a life and a family. So she sticks to obvious questions, like what year it is and how much the world has changed. Who's the president; is the world still unaware of the supernatural; any flying cars yet?
The conversation flows over into the car as they make their way toward Mystic Falls. She's nervous, but she isn't sure why. Sure, it's been sixty-plus years, but these are her friends. Suddenly, she thinks of Jeremy. Wonders if he finished art school. If he made a name for himself somewhere, far away from the chaos of the supernatural world. If he had a wife and children and grandchildren. Does she have family out there? Her chest aches with hope.
It's not a short drive, from Chicago to Mystic Falls, but Malcolm is a pleasant driving partner. He keeps the conversation flowing and, when there's nothing to say, he finds a good music station. Even that's changed. The makeup of the car, the way music is transmitted, the music itself. She picks at her bottom lip as she stares out the window and wonders how she'll adapt to this new world.
Damon will help her. She knows this. A warm feeling runs over her, followed quickly by a cold sensation. As much as she wants to focus on the fact that she's back and there's so much for her to do and see, she can't ignore the fact that the only reason she's here is because Bonnie isn't. Her best friend – Damon's best friend – is gone.
How much is a hello worth compared to a goodbye?
By the time they get to Mystic Falls, the sun is setting, casting the town in a pretty pink and yellow glow. It looks much like it used to, the cars more modern and the people unfamiliar. But the streets are the same and Mystic Grille is somehow, despite everything, still in tact.
"There was a big vampire take-over a long time ago. Nearly wiped the town off the map," Malcolm tells her. "But they managed to clean it up again. Uncle Matt said he just about torched the place just to get rid of the infestation. But Caroline says he was just in a bad place. I guess he lost a girlfriend or something. Anyway, Care said they cleaned the place up and restored it to its former glory. Or as close to."
"Uncle Matt," she repeats, mouth upturned faintly.
"He, uh, he's still alive. He lives out in Tennessee. Caroline will have his number. He's got a couple sons, a few more grandkids too."
She was briefly overwhelmed. It was so strange to think of them older, with families.
"Caroline still lives here?" she asks, to distract herself.
"Yeah, her and Stefan live at the boarding house. It'll be packed soon, considering…" He glances at her, mouth turned down, and then looks back to the road.
"You knew Bonnie?" she asks softly. "I mean, not just from Tyler's stories, or…"
"Grandpa talked about her a lot. She'd help out with the pack when she could. And we came out a few times, to help when there were… problems. There's still the odd supernatural throw-down out here. It's kind of a hotspot."
"Yeah," she scoffs. "You can say that again…"
"She was nice. Bonnie. Powerful, too." They were pulling into the boarding house driveway then. "Grandpa always said how strange it was. A witch-hunter hybrid hunting down vampires with a vampire. But they made it work, I guess… Mom thought it was romantic." He rolls his eyes. "Guess it says a lot, tying your life to someone, willing to die when they do."
Elena's brows furrowed, questions at the tip of her tongue. But then the door opens and Caroline is stepping outside. Her eyes are red-rimmed and puffy, and her smile trembles.
Pushing the car door open, Elena climbs out, and crosses the space between them in a few long strides.
"Hey!" Caroline laugh-cries and buries her face against Elena's shoulder as they hug, squeezing her tightly. "She's gone," she whispers, shuddering for breath. "She'sgone…"
Tears spring to Elena's eyes as she rubs Caroline's back. There's not a lot she can say, so she doesn't say anything at all.
They stand like that for a few minutes, just holding onto each other, and then Caroline steps back, wipes her face, and forces a cheery smile.
"You're here," she says, sniffling. "It's good to see you!"
"Yeah." Elena half-smiles. "Not the best circumstances, but…"
Swiping at a few more loose tears, Caroline moves out of the doorway. "Stefan's in the den. He, uh… He's not doing so good, but… I don't know, maybe seeing you will help."
Elena steps inside, but pauses to look back. Caroline is gathering Malcolm up into a tight hug. He rubs her shoulder as he soothes her when she breaks down crying again.
Wringing her hands, Elena makes her way toward the den. Stefan is standing by the fire, a glass of bourbon in one hand, his head down. The curtains are drawn, leaving the room dark. She takes a step inside, and freezes when his head lifts.
"Elena," he says, and stares at her a long moment.
She moves across the room slowly, taking a deep breath as she does. "It's been a while," she says, and wants to sigh at how awkward she sounds.
A faint smile upturns his mouth. "Yeah. It has." He reaches for her, and pulls her into a hug.
Closing her eyes, she buries her face against his chest and hugs her arms around his waist. She holds on for a while, just breathing him in, before he finally pulls back and she leans away.
"So… Bonnie…?"
"Yeah." He swallows tightly. "It, uh… We weren't expecting it… There was…" He closes his eyes for a moment and shakes his head. "A long time ago, she, uh, she kind of took over this hunter's last life. It's… complicated. But, she became a hunter herself. Of vampires. And she did a pretty good job, actually. But, uh, you can't kill that many vampires without getting a reputation. People had come for her before. She always handled it. But …" He shifts, his hands tucked in his pockets. "This time was different. There was no healing from it."
Elena nods, her arms wrapped tight around herself. "But… Before that. She had a good life? A long life?"
Stefan stares at her a long moment. "She was happy. She spent a lot of time on the road, seeing the world." He motions with his hand, his brows hiked. "Terrible at guitar, but she picked up the piano pretty quick. Dominated karaoke night. Don't tell Caroline I said that, though."
Elena laughs.
Stefan smiles faintly. "Yeah. She… She loved her life."
"Good."
Hesitating for a moment, Stefan finally says, "Elena… There's something you should know…"
A noise catches their attention then, and they turn to see a young woman stepping into the room. Brown skin, curly dark hair, and blue eyes.
"Mahayla…" Stefan turns toward her, an arm outstretched. Crossing the room, she takes his hand, and lets him pull her into a side-hug. "This is Elena Gilbert," he introduces, and then turns to Elena. "Mahayla is Bonnie's daughter."
Elena's eyes widen. "Oh! Wow. Uh, hi!"
Mahayla stares at her a beat and then nods. "Hey." She turns to Stefan then. "He doesn't have long. And he's asking for you."
Stefan's throat bobs. He nods jerkily, and then presses a kiss to her forehead. Rubbing a hand over her back, he tells her, "Caroline's out front. She's probably fussing over Malcolm. Why don't you go save him?"
A shadow of a smile pulls at her lips, and she nods. Untangling from him, she moves toward the door.
"Mahayla," Elena says, turning toward her.
The girl pivots to face her, and there's something about the cupid's bow of her lips and the shape of her face that just scream Bonnie. It makes her throat tighten. "I… I'm sorry. About your mom. She… She was my best friend."
Mahayla nods, and crosses her arms loosely over her stomach. "She talked about you sometimes… She missed you."
Elena blinks back the burn of tears. "I missed her too."
Gaze dropping to the floor then, Mahayla turns and makes her way out into the hall and toward the front door.
Elena can just barely hear her call out, "Hey, Aunt Caroline…" before Mahayla's voice is too far away to hear.
Turning back to Stefan, she says, "You were telling me something…?"
"Right. You know what, maybe it's easier to show you." Stefan turns on his heel and walks to the door leading out into the hall, and Elena follows. They climb the stairs to the second floor before coming to a stop in front of Damon's bedroom door.
Elena feels her heart squeeze. "Stefan?"
His hand is on the handle, but he hasn't turned it yet. "When Bonnie transitioned to become a hunter, she couldn't just take Reyna's last life. She needed someone to bind herself to. Bonnie was dying, and this was her only chance. So Damon offered himself. For as long as he lived, so would she. It was the ultimate loophole… Bonnie never aged. She just had a calling, to hunt down vampires, so her and Damon took to the road… But the link goes both ways. When Bonnie was stabbed, they hit her heart. She died this morning, with her friends and her daughter and her husband by her side… But Damon's dying, Elena. And there's nothing we can do to change that."
"But he can't just die. I… I only just got back!"
Stefan looks toward her, pity in his eyes. "At least you get to say goodbye."
He pushes the door open then, and steps inside. Even without her vampire senses, Elena can smell death on the air. She hesitates, but only for a moment, and then she's there, with them. Damon is laid out in bed, blanket and sheet drawn up to his chest. He's still just as young as he was when she last saw him, but he's pale and clammy now, the skin around his neck and down his arms is dessicating. Veins are rippling and climbing, threatening to consume him whole.
"Looks like Sleeping Beauty finally woke up," Damon says with a half-hearted, and laboured, laugh.
She presses a hand to her mouth as her eyes burn.
"Mahayla said you wanted to see me." Stefan draws Damon's glossy eyes in his direction.
"Not much longer now, brother. Figure it was better for you to be here than brooding somewhere else."
Stefan's jaw ticks and his gaze drops away.
"Come on… Don't tell me you haven't thought about death bed confessions and last words before… This is where we lay it all out, one final hurrah."
Stefan crosses his arms over his chest. "This isn't funny."
Damon's brows arch. "Who's laughing?"
Taking a deep breath, Stefan walks to the chair next to the bed and drags it over. "You had a good run…"
"I had a great run," Damon corrects, smiling. "Sure, there were a few slips along the way. A few bodies I should apologize for… Like Lexi."
Stefan's eyes raise abruptly to meet Damon's.
"I messed up. Big time." He shakes his head. "Lexi's just the cherry on top of that cake. But I regret it. Can't remember if I ever told you that… She didn't deserve what I did to her. A lot of people didn't." He lets out a huff of a laugh. "Even now, I've got Bon-Bon's judgy little voice in my ear, telling me to be better, to take responsibility,blah, blah, blah…" He closes his eyes for a moment, and just breathes. "Twelve hours and I already miss it."
Stefan leans forward in his seat, reaches out and wraps a hand around Damon's wrist. "Is this you asking for forgiveness, brother?"
Damon's eyes open and turn to Stefan once more. "Maybe… You think you'd give it to me if I really meant it?"
Stefan stares back at him. "Think I forgave you a long time ago… You've messed up a lot, Damon. I won't deny that. But you've made amends too. The person you became, that you grew into… These last sixty years… You were a good brother."
Swallowing tightly, Damon offers a tremulous smile. "I hope someone recorded that."
He snorts.
Damon's gaze wanders back toward Elena, and then returns to Stefan. "You should get Blondie. Bring Mahayla back. I, uh, I just need a minute, but…"
"Okay." Nodding, Stefan stands from the chair. As he passes Elena, he squeezes her shoulder reassuringly, and then closes the door behind him.
Elena stares at Damon, her hands rubbing up and down her arms, and then she circles the bed to take the chair Stefan left behind. In an attempt to sound light, she tells him, "Gotta say… This wasn't the reunion I was hoping for…"
He half-smiles, and reaches a hand out for her to take. "You were asleep for a lot of this story… It's gotta be pretty confusing."
"Just a little. Stefan said you bound your life to Bonnie's…" She stares at him searchingly. "Part of me wants to ask why, and another part just wants to thank you, for giving her the life she deserved. You could've had me back, sixty years earlier, but you helped your best friend instead." Her brow furrows. "But Damon, you had to know… If you were bound to her in life and death that, when she died…"
"I'd never see you again."
She nods, her throat tight. "I knew you were loyal to your friends, but this…"
"Bonnie wasn't just my friend, Elena…" His eyes are gentle as his thumb strokes across her knuckles. "I loved her. I still do…" His brow knits. "I tried dessicating. I tried waiting for you. And three years later, I was out of that box, faced with an angry witch who hated my guts." He huffs a laugh.
Elena can imagine it. It takes a lot to light Bonnie's fuse, but when it's lit, it's hard to snuff.
"And I couldn't… I thought that was the worst feeling in the world, until I realized she was dying… again… I realized I could live with her hating me, as long as she was alive…"
Elena's lips purse. "I'm not saying it was the wrong decision. I just… I don't understand why there isn't something we could do. Someone we could talk to. That can fix this."
"We were the loophole. There's no more second chances. And I don't want to spend my last hours chasing windmills."
"Why?" Her breath catches. "Why not chase every one of them for one more chance? One more day? One more year, here, with me."
His thumb rubs atop her hand. "I really loved you," he says. "I mean, crazy, passionate, lethal loved you… And sixty years ago, I would've burned the whole world to ash for one more second with you…"
Sjhe squeezes his fingers tightly. "So do it!"
"Elena…" he says softly. "No."
She shakes her head. "Why?"
There's a knock at the door, before it opens, and then Mahayla, Stefan, and Caroline step inside. Suddenly the room feels so small and crowded. Elena doesn't realize she's crying until she's wiping at her cheeks.
Mahayla crawls across the bed and lays down at Damon's side, her head on his shoulder and her hand over his heart.
His fingers slip from Elena's as he lifts his hand to lay over Mahayla's. He kisses the top of her curly hair and wraps his arm around her shoulders.
"It's not fair," Mahayla whispers. "I just lost mom. I don't want to lose you too."
"It's probably better this way, Kid. We all know what I'm like without your mom around."
She sniffs. "A homicidal asshole?"
His mouth ticks up. "Watch your language… but yeah."
Her fingers press down and ball up the fabric of his shirt into her palm. "I don't want to say goodbye," she cries. "Dad. Please don't make me say goodbye."
Damon closes his eyes, but a stray tear leaks out. "You remember that song your mom and me used to sing when you were a kid?"
Sniffling, she turns her head up, chin balanced on his chest. "I'm not singing 'Whatta man' to you."
He chuckles. "I raised you on the classics. But no, not that one…"
Her brow furrows.
Damon smiles before singing, a little wobbly, "From your head down to your toes… You're not much, goodness knows… But you're so precious to me, sweet as can be, baby of mine…"
Mahayla's mouth trembles, and she closes her eyes.
He cups the back of her head and draws her close to kiss her forehead. "One more time, for the road… What are the rules?"
Mahayla sniffles. "Mom's rules or your rules?"
"Surprise me."
"Mom says not to kill anyone unless they try to kill me first… but you say to stake first, ask questions later…"
"Right, 'cause the only good vampires–"
"–are family."
"Mmhmm."
"Don't use my powers in the house."
"Unless…?"
"Unless dad's being lazy. Which is always." She sighs. "Never invite anybody inside. Especially Enzo."
He hums. "I love that rule."
"It's okay to hide Caroline's day planner if she's being crazy."
"Hey!" Caroline complained.
"Don't play with werewolves or you'll get fleas."
"I heard that!" Malcolm's voice traveled up from below.
"Homework before dating."
"Ah!"
"Except I can't date until I'm fifty." Mahayla snorts. "Broke that rule…"
Damon's mouth screws up with distaste.
Mahayla smiles at him. "And always say 'I love you' before you leave. And before bed. And every chance you get."
Damon taps her nose affectionately. "Good girl."
Her smile slips as she notices the veins crawling across his chin.
"Not long, huh?" He nods, and then directs his gaze toward Stefan and Caroline. "Looks like it's the end of the road, kids. Carebear, you were by far… the best sister-in-law I could ask for… Take care of him."
Wiping at her cheek, she nods. "I will."
"Stefan… Take care of my kid. Or I will haunt you."
His mouth flicks up faintly. "Promise."
Finally, Damon looks to Elena, who sits, shell shocked in her seat, her mouth agape.
"I'm sorry, that this wasn't what you were hoping for… I made a lot of promises when you went into that casket, and I only managed to keep half of them. But Bonnie had a great life. And a long one. She was loved. And I don't regret one second that I had with her."
Elena nods, jerkily, and wipes her hands over her face.
Finally, he returns his gaze to Mahayla. "Every chance you get," he tells her.
Gripping his hand, she whispers, "I love you, daddy."
And he smiles. "I love you too."
His eyes go dim then. His skin turns grey and the dark veins of death mottle his face.
Mahayla sobs, her head falling to his chest.
Caroline turns, her hand sliding into Stefan's hair as she draws him in for a hug, his head cradled in her shoulder. And Elena sits, confused and hurt and desperately wishing it was all a dream. A nightmare. Because sixty years have passed, and she's woken up to find the love of her life fell for her best friend. Had a child with her. And tied his life to hers, willing to die, all the while expecting never to see Elena again.
Minutes pass before Stefan lifts a crying Mahayla from her father and carries her out of the room. Elena jerks in surprise as Caroline's hand lands atop her shoulder.
She looks up, her eyes wide and damp and confused.
"You must have a lot of questions…" Caroline smiles sympathetically. "Come on… I'll make tea, we can talk, and…" Her eyes dart to Damon and back. But she doesn't say it, doesn't voice the fact that he's gone and his body will need to be removed.
Elena stands from her chair with wobbly legs. She follows Caroline out in a daze, her mind a blank space.
Sitting at the table in the kitchen, she watches Caroline bustle around, preparing a pot of tea.
"It must be strange for you, all of this… For us, they've been together for so long, it's… normal." She offers a vague smile. "After Damon linked his life to Bonnie's, and she took over Reyna's whole hunter thing, they went on the road. Bonnie was still mad at him. He'd dessicated for three years and she felt abandoned. But he convinced her to let him tag along, said it was smart if they stuck together. That way if one of them got hurt, the other could help… I don't know if she really believed him, but she let him go along. She and Enzo were dating back then, but… The writing was on the wall. I mean, I think Bonnie had feelings for him since the prison world. She was just denying them. And when he dessicated, it hurt. A lot. She loved Enzo, but… It wasn't he same. So her and Enzo fell apart, and she and Damon… It took some time. But they worked through it and… I don't know. You don't tie your life to someone unless you really care about them…"
"How long?" Elena wonders, her voice thick. "How long after I…?"
"It was maybe six months before he dessicated. Three years before he came back… Two on the road before her and Enzo broke up… It happened at some point after that. She was always kind of vague on the details. Private. But one day, they came back, and they were just… together. You could tell. The didn't even have to say anything. It was just… how he looked at her. How she looked at him. That intimacy that comes with knowing somebody completely…"
Her gaze fell to the counter. "They built a life. Hunting vampires… And then they'd come home for a while, like a vacation or something. She'd bring all these pictures, of all the places they'd been. And souvenirs, for me and Stefan… And then things changed, about eighteen years ago. Bonnie was pregnant. Valerie said it had something to do with the bond, that because Bonnie was alive and she was linked to Damon, that he was closer to alive than dead. I don't know. I'm just happy it happened. Mahayla is… She's amazing. She's smart and funny and loyal and just… the best parts of Bonnie, and Damon."
She pulls out a couple mugs then and takes the tea pot off the stove. "They tried to slow down after she was born. Spend more time at home. There's this… drive that comes from being the hunter. It's hard to focus on anything else, but… You know Bonnie. She's strong. So they came home and they raised her here, with us. And when she'd have to go, Damon would go with her, and Mahayla would stay with me and Stefan." She tries to smile, but it falls quickly. "It's gonna be hard on her… Losing both of them. She's so young and we thought… Because Damon's a vampire, they'd have longer… Centuries. You know?"
"Yeah," Elena rasps.
Caroline flinches. "I'm sorry. This must be so hard. You– You were in love with him. You are in love with him." She pours their tea and circles around to pass Elena her mug. "He didn't do it to hurt you. Neither of them did. Bonnie… I don't think she ever expected him to love her like she loved him. Which is funny, because… He loved her so much."
Elena stares down into her tea. "They were happy?"
"Yeah." Caroline's voice is soft, gentle. "I'm sorry, Elena. That you didn't get to say goodbye to her… That you had to say goodbye to him…"
She nods. "Me too."
Reaching out, Caroline drops her hand over Elena's and squeezes. "You'll get through this. You'll have me and Stefan and… Matt lives up in Tennessee. I'm sure he'd love to see you. And Jeremy! He stopped hunting a while back. He settled down in New York. He's got a wife and two daughters and four grandkids." She smiles. "You have nieces! Oh! That reminds me. My daughters, Josie and Lizzie, they'll be coming up for the funeral." She waves her hands. "That's a whole other story. But they'll be bringing their kids too. So you'll get to meet them. It'll be nice, to have the house full again. It gets so quiet around here sometimes…"
Elena nods, but her mind feels distant. Her brother was hunting, for decades. Everybody has kids and grandkids. And then there's her, separated from all of it, unaware of names or history or who belongs to whom. Were the kids Stefan's? Both loves of her life had partnered up with her best friends, had children, had lives, and she wasn't a part of it. She'd been gone for all of it. Sixty years away, and she felt like an outsider looking in. A stranger.
"I need some air," Elena says, standing abruptly from the table.
"Oh. Okay." Caroline watches her leave, and Elena swears she can taste the pity on the air.
She walks out into the backyard and finds a seat on a bench. The sun has set and it's only the flood lights that let her see beyond her feet. Before, when she was a vampire, she would've run off into the woods, run as far as she could get. Until she found someone to bury her sorrows in, teeth first, maybe flip her switch just to escape this hollow feeling eating her whole.
It could be minutes or hours, but eventually, Stefan takes a seat beside her.
"It wasn't easier," she tells him. "Seeing it. It wasn't easier."
He nods, and waits patiently, hands clasped in his lap.
"I'm angry. And I have no one to direct it at. No one to yell at. A part of me gets it. They loved each other and sixty years is a long time. I told him not to wait, I know that. But…"
"But you thought he would?"
"I didn't think he would fall in love. I didn't think he would get married and have a family and just… forget me."
"He never forgot… Damon's had three great loves in his life. You, Katherine, and Bonnie."
She groans. "Is that supposed to make me feel better? That even if he loved Bonnie, he loved me too."
"Look, I'm not the right person to talk to about the intricacies of your relationship with Damon. I'm probably biased. But I know it wasn't easy for him to let you go. It was never about hurting you. It was about healing. About… growing up and becoming the best version of himself."
"Why couldn't he do that with me? Why couldn't he wait? Why couldn't he fight to live?For me?"
"You want me to be honest?"
"Yes!" she cries, but she regrets it, wants to take it back and eat her words. Because no, no she doesn't want his honesty. Not if it's going to hurt her.
"You weren't healthy for each other, Elena. I can make a list of all the ways you influenced each other, made each other worse, sacrificed everyone else around you… But I won't. Because you loved him and you're grieving and all you really want to hear right now is that he loved you. And he did. He loved you. Sixty years ago, you were his entire world. And then he grew up and learned from his mistakes and became a better person. A less selfish person. And he fell in love with his best friend. He had a beautiful daughter and a great life and he was happy. I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth."
Her hand cradles her throat as her heart crawls up inside it and burns. "This wasn't how it was supposed to be."
Stefan sighs. He reaches over and presses a hand to her shoulder. "But it is."
A minute passes before he stands and makes his way inside.
Elena can hear Caroline fussing over him.
"Hey… I checked on Mahayla; she's sleeping. And I ordered in some food. You should eat. I heated up some blood for you too. Here. Why don't we sit in the den for a while, okay? If you wanna talk, we'll talk. If not… that's okay too."
As they walk away, Elena turns tearful eyes toward the woods. Not for the first time, she wishes Kai Parker never uprooted their lives; that the supernatural never invaded Mystic Falls; that she wasn't born a doppelganger, doomed from the start. But he did, it did, and she was. And now it's sixty years into the future, everything she knows is different, and she has no idea where to go from here.
Head falling back, she stares up at the night sky, lit brightly with stars. Slowly, traveling across her vision, she sees a comet. And suddenly, she laughs. She laughs and laughs until all she can do is cry.
Welcome home, Elena Gilbert.